Cover Reveal: Pull by Claire Wallis- Sequel to Push-Push *6 Star* Review + 2014 Favorite

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Pull

Sequel to Push

Release Date: November 6, 2014

By Claire Wallis

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Synopsis

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***PULL is the continuation of Claire Wallis’ sharp and shocking debut novel, PUSH. It is the second book in the series and is not intended to be a standalone.***

It is impossible for someone like me—someone with a sin-list capable of wrapping itself around the world—to find redemption. To be repaired.”

David Calgaro has secrets, and the only woman he’s ever loved is about to pay the ultimate price to protect them. He’s spent a lifetime searching for purpose and control. And the only place he’s managed to find them is in a single, perfect moment; a moment in which he has absolute control over someone else’s life.

David is unredeemable, unfixable, unsalvageable. But Emma Searfoss has forced a tiny sliver of hope to penetrate his soul. Hope that, even though redemption is impossible, maybe life isn’t. Maybe he isn’t who he thought he was. Maybe he’s meant to be more.

This is a new adult novel with mature content for readers 17 and up.

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Push

Book 1

By Claire Wallis

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

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Synopsis

I feel like I am wrapped in a cyclone. Everything is whirling around me, drawing the air out of my lungs and filling me with the best kind of turmoil. Every time his tongue slides against mine, a prickle in my gut tells me how right we are together. How much I need David. How much I need us.

I hope the cyclone never stops.

Emma Searfoss has spent a lifetime trying to escape her abusive stepfather. It’s why she moved far away from home. It’s why she’s kept no ties with her remaining family. And it’s why she’s got a major rage problem. When her neighbor shows up to fix the kitchen in her new apartment, his enigmatic charm calms the fire in her. David is cool and collected, and he makes Emma feel safe for the first time ever. But David has his own chilling past—his six previous girlfriends have all disappeared without a trace. Emma’s walking a dangerous line, but David’s pull is intoxicating. And impossible to resist…


6 star

2014 Favorite

Michel’s Review

*** I wrote this review in May 2014 when Push was first released.  After 5 months and several books reviewed, I have not been able to forget this book.  I am still blown away by the intensity and the emotional impact this book had on me.  I have recommended this book to several of my seasoned reader friends and they have had the same kind of reactions.  Claire Wallis delivered a unique story with a very untraditional writing style.  There were two prologues and two epilogues are written from each character’s POV. The content of the book is mostly written in third person but has chapters throughout the book written in first person POV from supporting characters.  It is choreographed in a very deliberate manner that stuns the readers.  The writing is absolutely brilliant! ***

Push by Claire Wallis is getting a lot of attention in the reader world. There are discussion groups dedicated to this book. All the major review sites and bloggers are blowing up over this book. It has every reader reacting! How could I not read this book? I had to know what was causing this kind of hysteria.

Now that I have finished this book, I completely understand all the reactions and sensation this book is generating.

Everything about Push is completely original. The plot is intricately woven. The reader gets a look at both the characters pasts as well as their present. The book is mostly written from Emma’s point of view. We get to know David through their conversations, Emma’s point of view, past girlfriends’ point of views, the prologue and epilogue. The author brilliantly takes the reader into the complicated worlds these characters evolved from. She develops a story that will keep the reader consumed to the very last word. When all is said and done, all the reader can think is WTF! I had to peel my jaw off the ground. I felt like I needed a shot of whiskey to calm me down. I felt like I needed a whole bottle of antacid to get my stomach out of knots. I needed the next book….. like YESTERDAY!

Push is exhilarating, chilling, horrific, distressing, anguishing, tormenting and heartbreaking. At the same time, the reader experiences an unusual but beautiful relationship. A relationship that goes beyond the kind of love most relationships are based on. Everything about this couple worked. They were exactly what each other needed. But sometimes having that perfection is not enough. This is the case with David and Emma.

When I started this book I was immediately drawn in. There are two prologues, one from Emma’s point of view and the other from David’s point of view. The prologues made it very clear what was going to happen at the end of the book. I was flabbergasted! I had to know more. I had to find out how they came to this point. I was hoping that the ending would turn out differently.

Emma was a very impressive heroine. She had a horrible childhood. She was mentally and verbally abused by her stepfather. Her stepfather ruined her family. But despite her ugly past, she didn’t let it drag her down. She is feisty, independent, self sufficient, aggressive, tough, and hard. She doesn’t believe in love. She doesn’t trust easily. She never gives anyone a piece of her heart. She’s okay with who she is. When she meets David, pieces of herself that she locked away begin to surface. He accepts her for who she is. He wants to protect her and take care of her. He is tender, caring, and supportive. He is everything she never knew she needed. He is perfect for her even though he has a slew of hidden secrets. She is okay with that. She accepts him for who he is because like her he has been to hell and back.

David is one of the most complicated characters I have ever experienced. On one hand I absolutely loved him. He is compassionate, giving, tender, and loving in his own unique way. He has a mesmerizing personality that is hard not to love. On the other hand, deep down he is a monster. He is your worst nightmare. Your heart breaks when you find out how he evolved into this horrific person. You are hoping that his relationship with Emma will somehow change him. Some people are not fixable.

Somehow these two messed up souls are beautiful together. They give each other what they need. They bring out the very best and the very worst in each other. They embrace it all. They are chaotic perfection together.

When you reach the end, there are two epilogues. One epilogue is from Emma’s point of view and the other is from David’s point of view. The ending will leave you with your heart in your feet, stomach in knots, and ugly tears running down your face. It ends on a major CLIFFHANGER!

Push by Claire Wallis blew my mind! I cannot wait for the sequel. I hope the publisher does not leave us readers hanging for long. I don’t think I can get this book out of my head.

Push by Claire Wallis is clearly the book that is going to soar to the top of 2014 Book of the Year list.

Note: This review is based on my reactions and emotions. The writing was flawless. The plot was brilliant. The overall story to this point is heart wrenching.

6 star

Robin’s Review

It has been three weeks since I finished reading Push by Claire Wallis, and I still think about this novel. Or should I say obsess? This is the exception. Generally, my head shifts focus with each novel that I begin reading. Reviewing novels is hard. Sometimes it takes all of the fun out of reading when you have to focus on what you want to say when you write the review. When I read Push, I knew our blog had already covered this story. So, I read it for sheer enjoyment. And I can’t forget it. I can’t escape this story. Have you read the synopsis? Push is dark romance at its finest. Go read this thriller now because the sequel Pull is being published soon! 6 stars to Claire Wallis for her debut novel!

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Author Bio:

7942379Enamored with the process of creating messy characters filled with imperfections and wicked inclinations, Claire believes that you don’t actually have to like a character to fall in love with them – a good story, after all, is best served with a hearty side of evil (just ask Disney). Claire’s first New Adult novel, Push, was released by MIRA Books on May 1st 2014. The story speaks to her appreciation of enigmatic male characters, perfectly capable of charming themselves straight into your unwilling heart. She enjoys writing about characters that are, at any given moment, both loathed and loved. You know, the ones that refuse to be forgotten.

Claire Wallis has penned hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles over the last ten years, with science playing the lead role in almost all of them. Though non-fiction writing will forever be her first love, fiction has unexpectedly swooped in, hooked her by the soul, and become her true love. As a result of this coup d’état, Claire’s writing career has made a complete U-turn, and instead of rocks, plants, insects, and microbes, she is now putting human characters in the lead.

Claire’s previous jobs include working at a limestone quarry, hawking vegetables at a farmer’s market, clerking at the dollar store, and convincing new mothers that they need to renew their subscription to that parenting magazine in order for their child to survive. She lives in Pennsylvania with her amazingly awesome husband and son.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

 

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Release Day Blitz + 6 Star Reviews: Becoming Calder and Finding Eden by Mia Sheridan- Sign of Love Series- Inspired by Aquarius- Book 1 and Book 2

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Becoming Calder

Book 1

Sign Of Love Series- Inspired by Aquarius

By Mia Sheridan

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Synopsis

There is a place in modern day America with no electricity, no plumbing, and no modern conveniences. In this place, there is no room for dreams, no space for self-expression, and no tolerance for ambition.

In this place, there is a boy with the body of a god and the heart of a warrior. He is strong and faithful and serves his family honorably. But he dares to dream of more.

In this place, there is a girl with the face of an angel and a heart full of courage. To her family, she is the vision of obedient perfection. But she dares to want that which she has been told can never be hers.

Becoming Calder is the story of good versus evil, fear versus bravery, and the truth that the light of love has always found its way into even the darkest of places . . . From the beginning of time, to the end of the world.

THIS IS THE FIRST PART IN A TWO-PART SIGN OF LOVE SERIES INSPIRED BY AQUARIUS. THE SECOND PART, FINDING EDEN, RELEASES SIMULTANEOUSLY. New Adult Contemporary Romance: Due to strong language and graphic sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.

Buy: Amazon 

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Finding Eden

Book 2

Sign of Love Series- Inspired by Aquarius

By Mia Sheridan

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Synopsis

Finding Eden is the continuation, and conclusion, to Becoming Calder.

When the world as you know it has ended, when all that you love has been washed away, where do you find strength?

When the new world you’ve stepped into is as isolating as the last, when your heart is broken, and your future is unclear, where do you find hope?

Finding Eden is a story of strength, discovery, forgiveness, and undying love. It is about believing in your destiny and following the path that leads to peace.

THIS IS THE SECOND PART, AND CONCLUSION, IN A TWO-PART SIGN OF LOVE SERIES INSPIRED BY AQUARIUS (BECOMING CALDER SHOULD BE READ FIRST). New Adult Contemporary Romance: Due to strong language and graphic sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.

Buy: Amazon 

6 star

2014 Favorite

Tracey’s Review

When I was given the chance to read BECOMING CALDER and FINDING EDEN by Mia Sheridan, I was excited. I mean, first off, it’s Mia Sheridan, and, secondly, the synopses for these books drew me in from the very beginning. I was intrigued, and couldn’t wait to find out more about Calder Raynes and Eden Everson, and Acadia, the community that they lived in. And, so, lucky enough to have these books in my hands, I began. And once I did, I just could not put them down. I could not stop for anything. Because I was captivated, completely won over, in every way possible.

Calder Raynes has lived at Acadia his entire life, surrounded by family and friends. From the moment of Eden’s arrival, the two are drawn to each other, and over the years, their relationship changes from friendship to desire to love, even as Eden’s eighteenth birthday, her appointed wedding day to Hector, grows ever closer.

Eden Everson was brought as a child to Acadia, a community set apart from society in anticipation of the end of the world. Remembering only snippets of her earlier life, she has been groomed since her arrival to be the bride of Hector, Acadia’s dynamic leader, and to help lead their people to Elysium, the promised land. But Hector never figured on Eden finding a real and forbidden love within Acadia.

Eden’s and Calder’s love story unfolds beautifully in BECOMING CALDER, but as in all epic love stories, tragedy accompanies joy, and events transpire that force Eden and Calder apart. As FINDING EDEN begins, we know that Eden has survived the events of the first book, but are left, along with Eden, to mourn the loss of her love and accompany her as she learns to live in society, to make a place for herself in the world outside Acadia.

“It was true what I’d once said about the stars—some things are seen more clearly in light…and some things are seen more clearly in darkness. Because  somewhere in the dark of the night, Calder pulled me close to him and we agreed in ways both spoken and unspoken that the world was ugly and broken and love was ridiculously dangerous and absurdly unsafe…and that we would love anyway. We would keep our fierce and tender hearts open. It felt foolish and ridiculous and right. It felt like the bravest thing in the whole world.”

BECOMING CALDER and FINDING EDEN are two of the best books that I have had the pleasure of reading. It is impossible not to fall in love with these characters, to rejoice in their love, and mourn their losses. I was so emotionally invested in Eden and Calder and their stories that I couldn’t stop thinking of them long after I’d finished the books. Although I wanted to enjoy these books at a leisurely pace, and just soak up the story, I could not help but speed through them, because I just could not wait to see what happened next.

If we’re lucky, we come across a handful of books that really resonate for us. They are beautifully crafted, ripe with wonderful plot, dialogue, and characters that, during the course of the story, prove themselves to be so much more. I can honestly say that BECOMING CALDER and FINDING EDEN are all of this and more for me. Mia Sheridan, by the blessing that is her creativity, birthed Calder, this beautiful, strong, loving man, and Eden, Calder’s Morning Glory, a girl that refused to give up in the face of enormous obstacles, and allowed us to be part of it. I savored these books, soaked in every part of them, wanting to reach the culmination, but yet not wanting it to end. And then I had to sit with the story for a few days, to revisit and replay every bit of it: Calder, Xander, Eden, and the entire experience that was Acadia, and what came after. Only then could I sit down and share my thoughts, that BECOMING CALDER and FINDING EDEN are absolutely two of my favorite books, not just of this year, but ever. And to let everyone know that 6+ stars doesn’t seem like enough for these books, this beautiful and touching story, with characters that evoked emotion upon emotion. Thank you, Mia, for sharing this truly beautiful story of overcoming life’s obstacles and belief in the power of love with us, and for bringing such a beautiful love story to life.

Individual Goodread Review links:

Becoming Calder-

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/920258280?book_show_action=false

Finding Eden

 

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1034919949?book_show_action=false

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Author Bio

Mia SheridanMia Sheridan is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author. Her passion is weaving true love stories about people destined to be together. Mia lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband. They have four children here on earth and one in heaven.

 

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

 

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Review: Chasing Abby by Cassia Leo- Shattered Hearts Series- Book 4

Chasing Abby

Chasing Abby

Shattered Heart Series- Book 4

By Cassia Leo

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Synopsis

The heart-stopping conclusion to the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Shattered Hearts series.

 

Five years, six months, eight days…

 

It’s been eighteen years since Abigail was born with a hole in her heart. Five years since she collapsed on the soccer field. Five years, six months, eight days since she found out she was adopted.

Abby has spent five years wondering about the family she never knew and waiting for her eighteenth birthday.When Abby shows up on the doorstep of Chris and Claire Knight, her birth parents are overjoyed to see the little girl they lost eighteen years ago.

One summer is all they have to make up for the years they lost. But a summer of love soon turns into a summer of heartache.

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

6 star

2014 FavoriteMichel’s Review

Chasing Abby is the conclusion to the highly acclaimed Shattered Hearts series by Cassia Leo.  Readers have been waiting for this book since the series began.

Chris and Claire Knight have waited eighteen years for this moment.  The moment to meet the daughter they gave up for adoption because of their mistakes in their youth.  The regret has weighed on their souls for the last eighteen years.  They have moved on in life and made a beautiful family.  They have become huge successes in their careers.  They have become parents of three more children.  The one thing missing in their lives has been their first born child, Abby.

Abby has had a loving life with her adoptive parents.  Although she has had a happy life, her life experiences have been very limited and controlled because of her severe heart condition.  Her health issues have caused her adoptive parents to become obsessively over protective of her. They have kept her adoption a secret all her life.  When a life threatening hospital stay reveals the truth about her adoption, she will have to wait until her eighteenth birthday to find out who her real birth parents are.

Her life in general has been very happy.  Her adoptive parents love her.  She has great friends.  She even has a phenomenal boyfriend, Caleb Everett, that whole heartedly supports her and takes great care ensuring her good health and happiness.

The moment she has waited for is finally here.  Through years of pictures in a bank safety deposit box, Abby finally finds out who her biological parents are.  She is stunned.  Through Caleb’s support and encouragement she finally gets up the nerve to meet them face to face.

The reunion is emotional on so many levels.  Chris and Claire are finally meeting their long lost daughter.  Their fears of acceptance are heartfelt.  Their joy of finally being able to openly love their child is exalting.  Now they want Abby to become part of their family.  They want her to get to know her two brothers and sister.  They want her in their lives.  But with Abby’s serious health issues their future is not guaranteed.  Time isn’t on their side.

They have one summer to love and become the family they always wanted to be.  It will be a summer filled with wonder and hope.  It will also be a summer of adjustment, building relationships, dealing with sibling rivalry, and facing shattering heartbreak.

This book had me an emotional wreck.  When I finished this book I was sitting in a pile of kleenex.  It is one of the best UGLY cries I have had.  I felt every emotion each of these characters felt.  I was proud of the kind of woman Abby turned out to be.  I was elated for Chris and Claire to finally mend the hole in their hearts they had for eighteen years.  I broke right along with Abby when her heart took away the very life of her soul. This book has the same kind of emotional impact as Fault In Our Stars did.

Cassia Leo did a magnificent job with this book.  Everything about this book was complete perfection.  Read the Shattered Hearts series.

This is the last published book from Cassia Leo.  This book will be her blaze of glory.

Cassia will continue writing under a new pen name.  I look forward to her new direction and new persona.  I want to thank her for giving the readers so many fabulous books.

Author Bio:

Cassia LeoNew York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cassia Leo grew up in California and has lived in three different countries. She loves to travel and her dream is to one day score a record deal based on her awesome shower singing skills. She is the author of the Shattered Hearts series (Relentless, Pieces of You, Bring Me Home). She is also the author of the popular Luke and Chase series.

ARC Review: Rival by Penelope Douglas- Falling Away Series- Book 3

Rival

Rival

Falling Away Series- Book 3

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By Penelope Douglas

Synopsis

From the New Adult sensation and New York Times bestselling author of Bully and Until You

Madoc and Fallon. Two estranged teenagers playing games that push the boundaries between love and war…

She’s back.

For the two years she’s been away at boarding school, there was no word from her. Back when we lived in the same house, she used to cut me down during the day and then leave her door open for me at night.

I was stupid then, but now I’m ready to beat her at her own game…

I’m back.

Two years and I can tell he still wants me, even if he acts like he’s better than me.

But I won’t be scared away. Or pushed down. I’ll call his bluff and fight back. That’s what he wants, right? As long as I keep my guard up, he’ll never know how much he affects me….

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

The Fall Away Series

Bully

BullyMy name is Tate.

He doesn’t call me that, though. He’ll barely refer to me at all, and he’ll hardly ever speak to me.

But he still won’t leave me alone.

We were best friends once. Then he turned on me and made it his mission to ruin my life. I’ve been humiliated, shut out, and gossiped about all through high school. His pranks and rumors got worse as time wore on. I even went to Europe for a year, just to avoid him.

But I’m done hiding from him now, and there’s no way I’ll allow him to ruin another year. He might not have changed, but I have.

It’s time to fight back.

When one brave young woman stands up to her best friend Jared, now tormenter, the consequences go beyond anything either of them ever would have imagined….

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Until You

Until YouThis is Jared’s story.

Have you ever been so angry that hitting things felt good? Or numb to all emotions? The past few years have been like that for me. Traveling between fury and indifference with no stops in between. Some people hate me for it, while others are scared of me. But none of them can hurt me, because I don’t care about anything or anyone.

Except Tatum.

I love her so much that I hate her. I hate that I can’t let her go. We used to be friends, but I found out that I couldn’t trust her—or anyone else. So I hurt her. I pushed her away. But I still need her. She centers me. Engaging her, challenging her, pushing her—it’s the one last part of me that feels anything anymore.

But then she went and screwed everything up. She left for a year and came back a different girl. Now, when I push, she pushes back…and I’m not sure either one of us will ever be the same.

Includes a teaser for RIVAL, the next unforgettable novel from Penelope Douglas….

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

Falling Away- Coming January 6, 2014

Falling AwayJaxon is the guy she’s supposed to avoid. K.C. is the girl he won’t let get away….

K. C. Carter has always followed the rules—until this year, when a mistake leaves her the talk of her college campus and her carefully arranged life comes crashing to a halt. Now she’s stuck in her small hometown for the summer to complete her court-ordered community service, and to make matters worse, trouble is living right next door.

Jaxon Trent is the worst kind of temptation and exactly what K.C. was supposed to stay away from in high school. But he never forgot her. She was the one girl who wouldn’t give him the time of day and the only one to ever say no. Fate has brought K.C. back into his life—except what he thought was a great twist of luck turns out to be too close for comfort. As they grow closer, he discovers that convincing K.C. to get out from her mother’s shadow is hard, but revealing the darkest parts of his soul is nearly impossible.…

Pre Order- Amazon / Barnes and Noble / ITunes

4 star read

Robin’s Review

Once again, Penelope Douglas has written a powerful story for her Fall Away series. Rival is a new adult contemporary romance novel written from a dual point of view. It’s the explosive story about Madoc Caruthers and his stepsister, Fallon Pierce. Expect white heat in Rival, similar to the tone and intensity found in the first novel of the series, Bully.

Their family is completely dysfunctional. His father is married to her mother. Biologically speaking, the siblings are not related. Their parents are estranged, with neither parent living at the family home. After being forced to attend a Catholic boarding school for two years, Fallon decides to return home, where she finds Madoc and the housekeeper, Addie, are the only persons in residence. Hostility reigns between Madoc and Fallon. They clash repeatedly. Filled with rage, Fallon does not back down from Madoc. He goads her, she taunts him. It’s an interesting type of foreplay, but imagine what follows.

There is so much more to this novel than a sibling rivalry. The plot of Rival is absolutely compelling. While reading, I found myself continually shocked by the unexpected twists and turns layered into the story. Penelope Douglas uses flashbacks to fill in the blanks. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, I found that I was completely wrong. Once I reached a certain point in Rival, I found myself struggling with the believability factor, as it pertained to the ongoing hostility between Madoc and Fallon. However, this wasn’t something I continued to feel for the entire novel. Other than this one drawback, I can say that I found myself completely invested in Madoc, Fallon and their story. Rival has earned a solid 4-star rating.

4 star read

Michel’s Review- 4.5 Stars

 

Rival by Penelope Douglas is book three in the Fall Away series. It can be read as a stand alone or in series order. The previous books are Bully and Until You. These books feature Jared and Tate and the characters from this series. This is where we meet Madoc, Jared’s best friend and cohort. Of the two, Madoc is the more laid back, fun loving, party kind of guy. He seems to let things roll off easily and nothing brings him down. With his family’s wealth, lack of parental guidance, and good looks it appears that Madoc has everything going for him. But behind this façade is a completely different young man. His family is dysfunctional, he is a product of a split home, and is left to his own devices most of the time. His father is a high profile attorney that has more interest in his career than he does his family. He remarried but never invested himself in his new family. His new wife was obviously only married to him for his prestigious standing and wealth. She also had a teenage daughter that she neglected as well.

These two teenagers were thrown together and forced to become a family. They were polar opposites. Fallon was a shy, quiet, and studious kind of girl. Madoc was a popular party kind of guy. Most of the time the two butted heads and took sibling rivalry to a new level. It would seem these two were destined to hate each other. But they both had something in common, they were both deeply hurt by their parents neglect and disregard. They found solace in each other that soon led to the forbidden attraction to one another. Once the parents discover the secret relationship between the two all hell breaks loose. What little family unity existed is now fractured beyond repair. Fallon is sent away to a Catholic boarding school. Madoc is left to his own devices. Their parents have more or less gone their own ways, living apart, and married in name only. There are deep resentments and malicious feelings for all that are involved.

Two years later Fallon returns to her former home with a vendetta of revenge. She wants to destroy Madoc and his father for the treatment she received in their home. Madoc hates Fallon after she deserted him and left him to deal with the ugliness their parents had made of their lives.

It’s an all out war. It’s a love hate relationship. It’s their way of dealing with the feelings neither one of them knows how to express. It is their foreplay.

What unravels and comes into play will have the readers glued to the pages. The story is unpredictable and very well plotted. Fallon and Madoc are Rival’s that make the battlefield look like a playground. When the peace treaty is finally reached the reader’s will be ecstatic.

Rival is sizzling hot! It is almost an erotic romance. The connection between Fallon and Mardoc is undeniable.

I loved how Penelope Douglas portrayed these two teenagers maturing into adulthood. They were very realistic to what young people are really like. She showed the many different types of families our modern day world knows. The secondary characters, the cast from the first two books, their families, and their community will definitely hit home. I am invested in this series and cannot wait for the next book, Falling Away to release in January, 2015.

This series is New Adult and is graphic. It will appeal to young adults as well as the mature audience. It is well written, has original plots, charismatic characters, and steamy romance.

I highly recommend Rival and The Fall Away series.

Top Pick6 Star ReadMy seventeen year old daughter has read the Fall Away series. It has become her favorite. She has recommended this series to all her friends and they love it. When I asked them what made this series so special, they all replied that the characters seemed very real. They were like a lot of their friends and classmates. They loved that Penelope showed a truthful side of how teenagers really are in today’s world. Bully made a huge impact among their friends and fellow students. Bully is now on the recommended reading list in the Anti-Bullying campaign in their school.

The WVHS Girls have rated and voted the Fall Away Series & Rival their TOP PICK OF 2014.

About Penelope Douglas

Penelope DouglasPenelope Douglas is a writer living in Las Vegas. Born in Dubuque, Iowa, she is the oldest of five children. Penelope attended the University of Northern Iowa, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, because her father told her to “just get the damn degree!” She then earned a Masters of Science in Education at Loyola University in New Orleans, because she HATED public administration. One night, she got tipsy and told the bouncer at the bar where she worked that his son was hot, and three years later she was married. To the son, not the bouncer. They have spawn, but just one. A daughter named Aydan. Penelope loves sweets, The Originals, and she shops at Target almost daily.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Rival

Release Blitz and ARC Review: Lead by Kylie Scott- Stage Dive Series-Book 3

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Stage Dive Series -Book 3

By Kylie Scott

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Synopsis

Stay up all night with the sexy rockers in Stage Dive, the epic New Adult series from New York Times bestselling author Kylie Scott, author of Lick and Play.

As the lead singer of Stage Dive, Jimmy is used to getting whatever he wants, whenever he wants it, whether it’s booze, drugs, or women. However, when a PR disaster serves as a wake-up call about his life and lands him in rehab, he finds himself with Lena, a new assistant to keep him out of trouble.   

Lena’s not willing to take any crap from the sexy rocker and is determined to keep their relationship completely professional, despite their sizzling chemistry. But when Jimmy pushes her too far and Lena leaves, he realizes that he may just have lost the best thing that ever happened to him.

Excerpt:

 

“Lena, you seen my old black Led Zep shirt?”

“Nope.”

“You sure?” His brows became one dark cranky line. The scratches on his face were healing well, thank goodness. Though it didn’t reduce my desire to throttle his mother on a daily basis.

“Yes. I haven’t seen it.”

Can’t find it anywhere…”

“And this is a surprise, how?” I slipped my hands into my back jean’s pockets. “Jimmy, you own more clothing than Cher, Brittney, and Elvis, put together. Things are bound to go missing.”

“Sure you haven’t seen it?”

“For goodness sake, what do you think, Jimmy? That I stole it to sleep in or something?” I laughed bitterly. Sure as hell, the truth deserved a good mocking. I’d sunk so despicably low.

I hadn’t even meant to steal the stupid thing, but the shirt had been mixed up with my laundry a few days ago. It’d been the first top I laid my hand on after stepping out of the shower, ready to go to bed. Without thought, I’d put it on and it’d been so soft, the scent of him lingering beneath the laundry detergent. Every night since, I’d found myself in it come bedtime. My shame knew no limits. And no, I still hadn’t quit. The words still hadn’t come even close to leaving my mouth.

He frowned. “No.”

“That I have some deep secret longing to feel close to you resulting in my stealing your shirt like
some creepy perv?”

“Course I don’t fucking think that,” he replied crankily, reaching up to grip the top of the doorframe. All of his bulging muscles stretched the arms of his white T-shirt in the nicest way. It was all I could do not to start drooling, my heart beat taking up residence somewhere down between my thighs. And who could blame it? Not me. Maybe if I got laid, this would go away and things would return to normal. It’d seemed safer to avoid rubbing up against any men just in case I got carried away and started dating again. This new situation, however, changed everything.

“Well, of course not! That would be crazy.” And wasn’t that the god’s honest truth? Cray-zeee. Lock me up and throw away the key because it wasn’t like I didn’t know better.

“Just can’t figure out where the hell it could be.”

Angels couldn’t have smiled as innocently. They might have tried, but they would have failed, the dirty-mouthed, winged, little liars. “Jimmy, I don’t know where it is. But I’ll look around for it later, okay?”

“Yeah,” he said, and then added as an afterthought, “and stop looking at me weird.”

“I’m not!”

 

 

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6 Star Read

Top Pick

Michel’s Review

OMG…. Kylie Scott has another bestseller!   Lead rocked the house down!

Lead is book three in the Stage Dive series and features lead singer Jimmy Farris. He is the egotisical front man for Stage Dive. He adds a new meaning to the phrases “self absorbed”, “self entitled”, “rude”, and “dickhead”. He is a recovering addict in need of a sobriety companion 24/7. Due to his insufferable personality he has run off every single companion the band has hired. They are at wits end until they accidentally meet Lena Morrissey in their manager’s office.

Mal gave me a finger wave. “Lena Morrissey, huh?”

     “Yes.”

     “I like you. You’re funny.”

     “Thanks,” I replied drily.

     “So you do admin-type shit here?”

     “I did. Yes.”

     He gave me an easy smile. “You don’t seem very impressed by me, Lena. Am I not impressive to you?”

    “Sure you are. I guess I’m just busy getting fired right now to fully appreciated the magnitude of the moment.” Hands on hip, I looked him in the eye. He was cute and I bet his smile worked on lots and lots of women. But it wouldn’t work on me. “Rest assured, later I’m going to freak out.”

     He leaned against the doorframe. “I’ve got your word on that?”

    “Absolutely.”

    “I’m trusting you here.”

    “And I appreciate that, Mr. Ericson. I won’t let you down.”

     “I really think you could be the one, Lena,” the drummer said, pulling me from my thoughts.

    I blinked. “That so?”

    “Oh yeah. Big time. But you’re not for me.”

    “No?”

    “Sadly not.” He shook his head.

    “Damn.”

    “Yeah, I know. You’re really missing out.” He sighed, slipping his hair behind his ears. Then he looked over his shoulder. “Gentlemen, that problem we were talking about earlier. I believe I may have found a solution.”

     David Farris looked from Mal to me and back again; his forehead creasing. “You’re serious?”

     “He isn’t easy to live with. Think she can handle it?”

     “Yeah, I do,” said Mal, bouncing on the balls of his feet all excited like. He put up his dukes, as if for fighting. “Show me what you got, Lena. Knock me out. Come on champ. You can do it. Put me against the ropes?”

     “Mal’s right, she’s different.”

     Finally, at long last, Jimmy sighed and looked up at me.

     And the man might be pretty, but he sure as hell wasn’t nice. I’d met enough not-nice men to know. Trust me to find him attractive.

     So I frowned straight back at him.

     His glare went up a notch.

     I matched it.

     “Why, you two are getting along like a house on fire already! It’s like you’ve known each other for years. I think she’ll make a wonderful live in assistant,” said Mal. “Tell him, Lena.”

     “A live in assistant?” I parroted, clueless.

     “Since when did I need an assistant?” Jimmy looked me over from top to toe, lips tight with obvious disapproval.

     “Since you can’t seem to keep a sobriety companion.” His brother returned calmly, a little coldly even.

 

And thus begins the story of Jimmy Farris, singer extraordinaire being put in his place and brought into the world of the mere human race.

An epic reading adventure you don’t want to miss.

Jimmy Farris has left a foul impression on the readers throughout this series. It is very hard to like him. It is hard to understand his motivations and actions toward his band brothers. As we all know, don’t judge a book by the cover. Don’t judge, accept.

Lena Morrissey with her quick wit, smart mouth, perceptive mind, and dedicated manner is exactly what Jimmy needs. She accepts his grouchy nature and likes him anyway. When he crosses the line, she puts him in his place. When he needs someone to support him, she has his back no matter what. She sees beyond the outer wrappings Jimmy presents to the world. She sees a man that has been deeply hurt. She sees a man that has lost his sense of self worth. She sees a man that doesn’t know how to reach out to others. She sees a man that doesn’t think he deserves to be loved. As his sobriety companion it is her job to keep him on the straight and narrow. To help him build an iron clad control against the drugs. To direct his self destructive nature in another direction. But is it her job to love him? Will she be able to survive an unrequited love?

 “The man was such a show pony, one that I just so happened to be hormonally susceptible to. Blame it all on my girl bits, sure why not?”

     “He always seemed so polished, so perfect, you could almost ignore the chaos and pain living inside of him.”

      “His smile, oh god his smile, I wanted to wipe it off his face with a pickaxe. I’d be gentle, you could trust me.”

      “I’d been in love before, sure. The difference here was, I loved him, all of him, and there’d be no easy getting over it this time. Every part of me wanted him, I yearned for him on the cellular level. There could be no escaping emotions of this magnitude. His good and bad, dark and light, his nice parts and his nasty. Everything he was, I loved, and it left me utterly helpless.”

Jimmy is counting on Lena. She is the only one he can tolerate intruding in his life. He doesn’t want her love. He just needs her to be there and have his back. He will help her get over her crush on him so that she will not quit. He will have her back when she needs it the most. Because after all he is a selfish man, he needs her and that is all there is to it.

   “Don’t hate me Lena,” he whispered. “You want to be mad at me when I do dumb things, that’s fine. But don’t ever hate me. I couldn’t take that, not from you.”

Lead is one of this books that is a turbulent ride, a rollercoaster of emotional highs and lows. It is fun, feisty, witty, sensual, panty dropping sexy, and emotional. The dialogue and banter between Jimmy and Lena is phenomenal.

Kylie Scott is a brilliant writer. She has the reader captivated in the very first line of the book. We are glued to the pages until the very end. She managed to take a very flawed unlikable character and make us fall head over heels in love with him. She gives us strong women that we can admire and respect. She gives the the reader a fun and entertaining book that titillates every emotion.

Lead is a six star book. The Stage Dive series is by far one of the best written series published and has deserved all six star reviews.

The Stage Dive Series:

Lick – Book 1

 

lickWaking up in Vegas was never meant to be like this.

Evelyn Thomas’s plans for celebrating her twenty-first birthday in Las Vegas were big. Huge. But she sure never meant to wake up on the bathroom floor with a hangover to rival the black plague, a very attractive half-naked tattooed man in her room, and a diamond on her finger large enough to scare King Kong. Now if she could just remember how it all happened.

One thing is certain, being married to one of the hottest rock stars on the planet is sure to be a wild ride.

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Play – Book 2

playMal Ericson, drummer for the world famous rock band Stage Dive, needs to clean up his image fast—at least for a little while. Having a good girl on his arm should do the job just fine. Mal doesn’t plan on this temporary fix becoming permanent, but he didn’t count on finding the one right girl.

Anne Rollins never thought she’d ever meet the rock god who plastered her teenage bedroom walls—especially not under these circumstances. Anne has money problems. Big ones. But being paid to play the pretend girlfriend to a wild life-of-the-party drummer couldn’t end well. No matter how hot he is. Or could it?

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Lead – Book 3

LeadStay up all night with the sexy rockers in Stage Dive, the epic New Adult series from New York Times bestselling author Kylie Scott, author of Lick and Play.

As the lead singer of Stage Dive, Jimmy is used to getting whatever he wants, whenever he wants it, whether it’s booze, drugs, or women. However, when a PR disaster serves as a wake-up call about his life and lands him in rehab, he finds himself with Lena, a new assistant to keep him out of trouble.   

Lena’s not willing to take any crap from the sexy rocker and is determined to keep their relationship completely professional, despite their sizzling chemistry. But when Jimmy pushes her too far and Lena leaves, he realizes that he may just have lost the best thing that ever happened to him.

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Deep – Book 4 – Coming January 6, 2015

Deep One by one, the members of Stage Dive are falling in love. David, Mal, and Jimmy have all taken the plunge, and now it’s Ben’s turn—only he refuses to fall into that trap. The sexy bassist enjoys his no-strings-attached lifestyle. But when Ben is forced to keep the one girl he’s always had a weakness for out of trouble in Sin City, he quickly learns that what happens in Vegas, doesn’t always stay there.

 

Author Bio:

 

kylie scottKylie is a long time fan of romance, rock music, and B-grade horror films. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and one delightful husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet.

Websiite ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

 

Lead